One of the questions comedians ask all the time is:
“How do you tailor your comedy for audiences in different countries when everyone’s sense of humor is so different? Or even in different parts of America?
The answer is: less than you probably think… but more than not at all.
You don’t need a completely different act for every country you visit. Nor do you need to fully change it up for Oklahoma vs California. But you also can’t assume that what kills in New York will automatically work in Costa Rica, Scotland, or Tokyo.
Here’s a simple approach that works.
1. Build an Act That Works for Tourists
One of the best testing grounds for international material is performing for tourists.
If a joke consistently works for people visiting from all over the world, there’s a good chance it’ll travel well. On the other hand, if a joke only works because everyone understands a very specific New York reference, it may not be the best choice for an international audience.
That doesn’t mean local jokes are bad. It just means they aren’t always portable.
2. Go Through Your Set and Cut the Risky Material
Before the show, look through your act and ask yourself:
“Would someone who has never been to my city (or country) understand this?”
If the answer is probably not, save that joke for another audience.
You don’t need to throw those jokes away forever. You just want to increase your chances of getting laughs by choosing material that’s easier for everyone to follow.
3. Think About Who You’re Actually Performing For
“International audience” isn’t specific enough.
There can be a huge difference between:
- Tourists visiting a country
- Expats who live there
- Locals who speak English fluently
- Audiences hearing English as a second language
Those groups often respond very differently.
If English isn’t everyone’s first language, simplify your act. That doesn’t mean making it less funny. It means making it easier to understand.
Choose jokes with clearer setups. Use simpler vocabulary. Avoid unnecessary complexity that makes the audience work harder than they need to.
If you’re performing for native English speakers living abroad, you can usually perform much closer to your regular act while adding a few local observations to acknowledge where you are.
4. Expect Some of Your Predictions to Be Wrong
No matter how much preparation you do, you’ll guess wrong sometimes.
A joke you thought would never work might become the biggest laugh of the night.
A joke you’ve done hundreds of times might suddenly get silence.
That’s normal. Just don’t panic, make a joke about it and keep going.
The goal isn’t to predict everything perfectly. The goal is to pay attention and adjust in real time.
Great comedians don’t just perform their set—they perform that audience.
5. Learn From Every Show
If you’re doing multiple shows in the same city or country —or for similar audiences—don’t treat each performance like it’s happening in a vacuum.
Listen back to your recordings.
Notice what consistently worked, what confused people, and what got a bigger response than expected.
Then make adjustments before the next show.
The fastest way to get better at performing internationally isn’t guessing better. It’s doing more of those shows and making adjustments in between.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need a completely different act for every country you visit.
Instead:
- Test material that works for a broad range of audiences.
- Remove jokes that rely on highly local references.
- Adjust based on who is actually in the room.
- Stay flexible during the show.
- Learn from every performance.
The more audiences you perform for, the better you’ll get at recognizing what makes people laugh everywhere—and what only works back home.